Control device for shower nozzles



Aug. 25, 1936.' I R. HETHERINGTON 1 3 9 CONTROL DEVICE FOR SHOWER NOZZLES Filed Dec. 19, 1931 Patented Aug. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES &052399 CONTROL DEVICE FOR SHOWER NOZZLES Robert Hetherington, Sharon Hill, Pa., assignor to Devices, line., a corporaticn of Pennsylvania Application December 1 9, 1931, Serial No. 582,059

2 Claims.

My invention relates to temperature and water pressure control of shower bath spray nozzles.

'My invention is intended to provide pressure controlling means within the body of a shower bath spray nozzle.

One purpose is to provide a shower head with a thermostatically controlled outlet? to prevent water of too great a temperature from passing out through the openings in the spray nozzle, and to bypass the hot water. v

A further purpose is to construct a shower head With a 'detachable apertured cover having a battle plate attached to the cover and a space between the cover and the bafile plate to allow water to pass from the space and through the apertures in the cover plate.

A further purpose is to thermostatcally control a bafile plate opening into a shower spray.

A further purpose is to automatically control the pressure of a spray nozzle by discharging through a by-pass by means of a spring controlled valve.

A further purpose is to use both a spray nozzle outlet through suitable outlet apertures and a by-pass outlet to relieve the spray nozzle from excessive pressure, or from excessively high temperatured water, using pressure control means for the control of the two as desired.

My invention relates both to the methods involved and the apparatus by which the methods may be carried out.

Further purposes will appear in the specification and in the claims.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved baffle plate Construction within a shower head.

Figure 2 is a sectional View of Figure 1 taken on the line 2--2 thereof.

Describing in illustration and not in limitation and referring to the drawing:

I have preferred to illustrate a few forms only of the many that my invention may assume. I have therefore selected forms that are practical and eflicient in operation and which well illustrate the principles involved.

While I have made one showing of my invention, I wish to have it clearly understood that it may be placed in any desired location above a bath tub or in a shower stall or at any angle as may be desired by the user or to meet the conditions found present.

My shower head comprises a casing lil with a reduced neck portion Il threaded internally at l2 to receive the threaded extension of an ordinary shower head inlet fitting !3. 'A permanent pressure control plug M is inserted into a threaded opening !5 in a Wall !6 integral with the shower head H). The maximum pressure is controlled by the extent to which this plug is screwed in.

Below the wall |6 a water chamber IT is pro- Vided in the shower head and this chamber is closed at its outer face by an apertured cover plate !8. A gasket i@ of rubber or the like is placed between the cover plate na and the side and end walls 28 of the shower casing !0, and 10 the cover` plate !8 and the gasket i@ are held 'in place against the shower casing by means of screws El.

I form a bafiie plate 22 connected with the cover plate 118. The balile plate projects up- 15 wardly and into the shower casing. Between the bafiie plate 22 and the cover plate i& is a space or distributing compartment 23.

Water is admitted to the shower head through the inlet !3 and pressure controlling member 20 i into the chamber ll.

In Figures 1 and 2 any suitable preferably spider support is provided within the body III of the shower head. It holds an end 24 of a bellows-like thermostat 25. The lower end of 25 the thermostat is swivel-connected at 25 to a closure 2'! in a baffie plate 28. The baflie plate may be integral with the cover plate !8. The Construction is effective as a valve giving or shutting off access to a compartment from which apertures 29 discharge.

Upwardly directed guide pins 30 from the cover, fit into apertures 3! in the closure 21. As water enters the spray nozzle and becomes of too high temperature, it will cause the thermostat to expand and to seat the closure 2? against the bafile plate.

The pressure is controlled by a spring pressed valve 32 set in the by-pass.

It would be evident that the pressure and temperature controls in Figures 1 and 2 cooperate, having unitary results in that the thermostatic control of access of water to the passage leading to the outlet spraying apertures, by which flow of excessively hot water is stopped, would not be capable of delicate control if the closure member operated by the thermostat, and which is effective as a valve by being exposed to widely variant pressures. The by-pass with excessive water pressure prevents this within any limit of water pressure which the designer cares to set. This relieves the thermostatic control not only from excessive variation in pressure but also from excessive absolute pressure and makes it possible to design the thermostatic control with definite knowledge of a maximum pull or push which it will be required to efiect.

Though in slightly different ways, it will therefore be seen that the combined thermostatic and pressure controls cooperate notwithstanding any independence of movement whether the by-passing be temperature or pressure controlled, and whether the control of water passing to the apertures be correspondingly pressure controlled or temperature controlled.

It will be obvious that when the hot water causes the thermostat to operate and effect closure of the bafiie plate, the pressure will build up in the shower head and cause the spring pressed valve 32 to open and the hot water will be discharged through the by-pass nozzle.

The control device, of course, though best placed in the shower head, need not necessarily be located there, but could be a separate unit and placed behind a wall or elsewhere discharging excessively heated water through the tub nozzle or direct to the waste line.

In View of my invention and. disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain part or all of the benefits of my invention Without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such in so far as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In a shower head, walls forming a chamber having spray openings, a Valve located immediately behind the spray openings and adapted to cut off flow through the spray openings, thermostatic means in the chamber carrying and operating the valve and bypass mechanism adapted to open by water pressure within the chamber to discharge water from the chamber.

2. In a thermostatic shower head a substantially flat shower face having water openings for distribution of the water spray, a substantally fiat bafiie plate, immediately behind the shower face extending over the major portion of the shower face and movable toward and away from the shower face, there being openings in the bame plate, guiding pins secured to the shower face extending through the openings, Walls forming a valve seat cooperating with the edges of 20 the baffle plate, walls form'ng a water chamber behind the baifie for receipt of the water for the shower, a thermostatic element in the water chamber operatively connected to the baflie plate moving the bafiie plate over the guiding pins 25 from its open to its closed position and from its closed to 'its open position, the space between the bame plate and the water being reduced to a minimum so that the quantity of water of excessive temperature which can be retained in this space is minimal.

ROBERT HETHIERINGTON. 

